A Little Piece of Ground

Karim lives in Palestine while in the late 1960’s and the early 1970’s when it’s under the Israeli rule. There are strict curfews and weeks at a time where the citizens are not allowed outside. All Karim wants is to play soccer with his friend, Joni. He wants to escape the cramped apartment where he lives with his brother, his parents, and his two little sisters who annoy him greatly. When he meets brave Hopper, a Palestinian refugee, things change. Karim, Hopper, and Joni clear an area for a soccer field during the times they are allowed outside. When Karim gets stuck outside when the curfew is called, he cannot go out of hiding to get home because he might get shot by a gun or even a tank. Can his brother, that he doesn’t get along with, save him?

A Little Piece of Ground was well-written. I liked it. The author portrayed the fear of the people at the time well. It gave you a look at someone’s (fictional) story of what that time was like. Although, I thought it focused too much on soccer. I feel like that was the only thing that made Karim want to do anything.

This book compares to Time of the Angels only in the way that the main characters both felt trapped at home. For Karim, it was the curfew and the Israeli tanks. For Hannah, it was the threat of influenza.

I would recommend this book to young-adults who like sports or survival stories.